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As you step into a Cuban restaurant in Miami, your senses awaken. The sizzle of meat hitting hot oil, the aroma of garlic and lime, the beat of the music, and the hum of English and Spanish mix together. Everywhere you look, tables are laden with golden fritas, bowls of ropa vieja, and beveled glasses of mojitos. And as Cuban food reveals itself to be the hottest cuisine in America’s hottest city, the eight best Cuban restaurants in Miami are places you must visit.
To compile our list, we turned to Chef Patty Morrell-Ruiz, a Cuban American culinary professional with over 20 years of experience cooking and teaching about Cuban cuisine in Miami. The author of The Essential Cuban Cookbook, Chef Morrell-Ruiz, is the daughter of two Cuban Americans who fled the island nation during the first wave of exile in the 1960s. “For me, Cuban food is something that reminds me of my youth and childhood, that’s very comforting, but I definitely need that explosion of flavor,” she says…